Voices in My
Head

I really like reading books that are
written in the first person, because it gives me a chance to get inside someone
else’s head. I think it’s the most intimate sort of reading experience. So, it
only makes sense for me to write in the first person as well. It’s what comes
naturally for me.

The problem is, it’s limiting. One main
character has to be in every scene in the book. The only way around that is to
write from multiple character perspectives.

That’s what I did for Starring in the Movie of My Life. It was difficult at first, but it
never occurred to me to do it any other way. The story always belonged to both Samantha and Melody. Since I love
writing in first person, alternating their points of view was pretty fun. The
most exciting chapters to write were the ones where the two of them were
together in the same room. I loved observing Samantha through the Melody’s
eyes, or vice-versa.

However, most of the chapters featured only
one of them. At times it was easier for me to write for Melody, and at times
Samantha’s chapters came easier. I guess I sort of went through phases.
However, I always enjoyed developing both of them, trying to make them real.

I started by giving them a heroic quality. Samantha was
extremely compassionate, and Melody was the ultimate survivor. I know a
lot of readers found Melody to be pretty unlikeable, but in a weird way I’m
protective of her. However, I guess
Samantha is my favorite because she has such a big heart and potential
strength. Of the major characters, I’d have to say Nathan is my least favorite.
It’s not his fault, but I don’t think he grows over the course of the story the
way the others do.

Anyway,
the most difficult part was attention to detail; how do I make Melody and
Samantha sound like two different people through word choice and response to
conflict? In the end I’m not sure how good I was at it, but I haven’t gotten
any complaints, so I’m hoping I did okay.

The
book I’m working on now, November
Surprise, is written in the first person, but there’s only one character
who narrates. However, it’s told in vignettes, and takes place over the course
of twenty years. So I’m trying to be cognizant of how Lucy will change over
time, her maturity, her perspective, etc. Also, what will stay the same? In
some ways this is more difficult than having two narrators. But I’m a writing
geek, so I love the challenge.

-Laurel
Osterkamp

About Laurel:

Laurel Osterkamp’s first novel, Following My Toes, (PMI
Books) won the 2008 National Indie Book Award for Excellence (Chick Lit
category). She drew on her on her experiences as a high school teacher and
creative writing teacher as she wrote Starring in the Movie of My Life.
She lives in Minneapolis with her husband, son, and daughter, and is working on
her third novel.

I'll admit it: occasionally I like to pretend that my life
is a movie, and that I'm the star…

Samantha acts without thinking. Her heart is huge while her sense of purpose is
small; she's willing to fight for those she loves, but she's never learned to
fight for herself. Eighteen-year-old Melody is cold and calculating, and she's
driven by the desire to better herself. As these compelling yet deeply flawed
women battle for the affections of 25-year-old Nathan, he becomes increasingly
confused and torn between them.

Nathan is Melody's English teacher, and after he saves her from being raped,
she becomes attached. Melody longs for the affection she's never felt, so she
involves people in her self-invented drama, making sure she is at once the star
and the director. Meanwhile, Samantha is newly married to Nathan. But Samantha
has hang-ups about motherhood and lingering feelings for her ex. To make sense
of the world, Sam relates her life to the themes of her favorite movies, while
she independently makes a documentary to jump-start her non-existent film
career.

Stylistically influenced by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Weiner, Starring in the
Movie of my Life is told old alternately from both Samantha's and Melody's
points-of-view and relates two complete yet combined stories about love,
acceptance, and redemption. It speaks to our universal desire to be saved by
the ones we love, and the monumental effort required to save ourselves.

2 comments:

Sounds like you had a great time writing this book, it seems really interesting. I think it's better to write in first person because the author can get to know more the character and I've read from other authors that sometimes characters "surprise" them. Thanks for the giveaway!